Hibs hero Dylan McGeouch admits he has huge call to make on Sunderland future

Dylan McGeouch has struggled to break into the Sunderland first team. Pic: Getty

The 26-year-old left Easter Road to move to the Stadium of Light on a two-year contract last summer but has struggled to command regular game time.

He has made 30 appearances in all competitions for Sunderland over the past season, but managed only 14 starts in League One despite being fit for the majority of the campaign.

McGeouch’s last start came on April 9 and, ominously, he didn’t make Jack Ross’s 18-man squad for the three season-ending play-off matches at home and away to Portsmouth and against Charlton Athletic at Wembley.

The former Celtic player hasn’t given up on his Sunderland career but concedes he has some serious thinking to do in the coming weeks. Hibs will be monitoring the situation closely, with manager Paul Heckingbottom admitting at a recent question and answer session with supporters that McGeouch is a player whose name they had discussed with regard to their summer recruitment.

“I have a big decision to make in the summer,” McGeouch told the Daily Record. “I haven’t really thought about it much as we have had the play-off final and wanted to focus on that – and there were a lot of different scenarios.

ANALYSIS: Ex-Hibs midfield trio: John McGinn soars – but can Dylan McGeouch and Scott Allan rediscover spark?“I am just going to go away over the summer, reassess things and see where we are. I have not given up hope of making it here with Sunderland. I still believe I can play a part in helping Sunderland be successful. I believed that all year and I feel I can bring something to the team. I still strongly believe that.

“The club will reassess and everybody will reassess things. We will see what happens over the summer and in pre-season to see whether we can kick on. The season has been disappointing but I still think it was the right move at the time. I came down and the manager gave me a game initially.

“It is disappointing I have not played as much as I would have liked but it is something I will look at over the summer and see where my future is at and take it from there.”